The App Store now officially permits emulators, with Riley Testut’s Delta emulator being the latest addition. This announcement comes after Apple recently removed the iGBA emulator, which was riddled with ads and tracking and was just a copy of Delta’s predecessor GBA4iOS.
Delta is a multipurpose emulator that can run GBA, SNES, Nintendo DS titles, and more. Since Delta has been in development for years, it’s a solid project and has all the essential features like controller support, AirPlay compatibility, and save states. It also has support for custom controller skins, and haptic feedback, and can emulate even the more demanding N64 games at a solid 60fps even on older iPhones.
Previously, you had to sideload Delta through AltStore, which enabled app signing using your Apple ID, but it came with limitations. You were required to connect your iPhone to the same network as your computer every 7 days, and you could only sideload a maximum of 3 apps at once. Now, bypassing all these issues, you can directly install it from the App Store.
You should keep in mind though, that you will have to source the ROM files for the games yourself. While obtaining ROM files for games that one already owns is considered a legally grey area, Nintendo firmly states that it considers any form of video game emulation piracy. Given the console manufacturer’s efforts to thwart the development of major emulator projects, there’s a possibility of pushback, especially considering the potential reach of emulators like Delta on the App Store.
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